Work 11 rows in garter stitch (when working in the round, this means knit one row, purl the next).

BO.Weave in ends.FINISHING

Felting:Place finished purse in a zippered pillow case or lingerie bag and machine felt, using hot water and mild soap. Use short cycles, and repeat as many times as necessary to get the amount of felting you desire. Once it's done, roll in towel to squeeze out excess water and let dry overnight, taking care to shape as necessary (you might want to even stuff with paper towels to help shape the bottom).

Embellishing:Using fabric glue attach sequin to top of each red stripe. Let dry. Add a holiday corsage or brooch.

Our special podcast episode with popular writer and blogger Stephanie Pearl-McPhee is now available! Click here to listen to episode 4 of our YarnCraft podcast! Please visit our blog at YarnCraft.LionBrand.com to leave a comment or find out more about the show!

Well...on Sunday, my friend Ernestine was sitting in the hospital, waiting for her daughter Amber to delivery their first grandbaby....When we finally got to the hospital, we took a look at the baby and said how cute and HOW big she was! London Jade was so cute!

I made a shrug for her, which I hope will fit her...but it was really cute in PINK!I didn't get a photo of it, but I hope to get one when she opens it up.....but I did it in GRACE by Paton Yarn....in a k3p3 pattern. I got this from Knit Simple magazine, I think...

This newspaper article was in the LA TIMES and they called it a CONNECTED Scarf.Knitted with 3 skeins of Cashmere or soft wool yarn like Cascade pastaza 50% Llama, 50% wool (132 yds each), or 300 gms total (2 skeins of gray and 1 skein of red or colors of your choice).

Continue ribbing stitch until scarf measures 32". On right side switch to red yarn and continue knitting in rib pattern until you have about 24" of red (end of skein). End after RS row.

Switch back to gray, and continue knitting in rib pattern, until the whole scarf measures 64". Bind off in pattern on RS row. Using yarn needle weave in the loose ends, and make sure that the colored ends are woven in their same colored pieces of scarf.

Spread out the scarf fold in 1/2 and twist one piece of the scarf once. Pin or hold the two ends together so that the pattern matches up. ...the knits will meet purls and the purls the knits.

Using sewing needle and thread that matches the gray, or main color, sew together the ends of the scarf using basic whip stitch.

You can use one color yarn for a solid color scarf, or more colors for more stripes. You can also vary the pattern with tweed or multi color yarns, or textures...make it fun, make it YOURS!!!

Thursday, September 13, 2007

There is actually a new scarf pattern for the Harry Potter fans. It is more different than from the first movie which had alternating colors for the different school groups. I got this from a blog, and I left all of her links. I think she did a great job....if you click on the "it's official" you can see Hermione wearing one of the scarves in the movie.......have fun! Just in case you don't get it....PoA is "Prisoner of Azkaban" The pattern below is by Lauren Kent, and this is from her blog...I found it using a google search... have fun! :)

"The DesignThe Prisoner of Azkaban Hogwarts scarves are really quite different from the old Sorcerer's Stone/Chamber of Secrets scarves. Instead of even-length stripes, they have a light-on-dark trapped bar design; instead of alternating tassels, they have short, dark fringe (it's official!). The general consensus seems to be that there are 14 repetitions of the trapped bar stripe. Unknotted, Hermione's scarf reaches her knees, so the scarf is bigger than I'd anticipated, possibly as long as 85" and about 9" wide. "

"Now that the fringe is confirmed, there's no need to knit the scarf ends closed - although it does make it much easier to get the tube straight when fringing. If you'd like to take advantage of this, use a provisional (or looped) cast-on like this one when you begin, and stop a few rounds short on the first wide MC stripe. Follow the pattern, but use a three-needle bind-off when you reach the end (be sure to keep the inner sides of your scarf together, contrary to the instructions). Turn the scarf inside out and weave any ends (once you close the other end, the scarf is sealed!). Then, slip the loops from your cast-on waste yarn back onto your needle, join your MC, place a marker, and knit a few rows. Bind off this end with the same three-needle bind-off.

There's one nice clear shot of a Hufflepuff scarf during the Hogsmeade visit, and it is indeed black stripes on a yellow field. Knit away, my dear Huffles!

If you'd prefer to crochet your PoA scarf - well, you're more than welcome to email me, but I can't crochet for my life and probably won't be much help. You'll have better luck checking out Luvtocraft's fantastic crocheted PoA scarf pattern.

The ColorsThe PoA uniform colors seem to have darkened and mellowed a bit from the first films. No more scarlet for Gryffindor or bright blue for Ravenclaw, and Hufflepuff's yellow is really quite buttery. Everything's moody this time around.

Knitting:Cast on 90 stitches in MC. Place marker. Knit into your first cast-on stitch to join the scarf, being sure not to twist the cast-on row around your needle. Knit around to the marker; this is one round.Work a total of 27 rounds in MC.*Switch to CC and work 3 rounds.Switch to MC and work 5 rounds.Switch to CC and work 3 rounds.Switch to MC and work 27 rounds.Repeat from * 13 times more, ending with 27 rounds of MC. Bind off.

Finishing:Turn your scarf inside out and, with your crochet hook, weave all ends back into the fabric.Wash the scarf according to your yarn's instructions; dry it flat on the floor/table on top of towels. Be sure to align all the color changes along one crease (they're less noticable that way). Block the scarf by stretching it widthwise until the entire thing is the same width.For fringe, cut approximately 120 8" pieces of MC yarn. Fold 3 pieces of yarn in half and, using the crochet hook, pull the looped ends of the yarn through both layers of knitting. Slip the yarn ends through the loop and pull tight. Place one such tassel every two stitches across the both ends of the scarf. Then, lay the scarf flat and trim the fringe so it's even all the way across.

Extras:If you'd like to put initials on your scarf, you can duplicate stitch them at either end prior to binding off.

FeedbackIf you have any questions about the new scarf design (or you know something I don't!), feel free to email me at scarfpattern(at)atypically.net.

Tuesday, September 11, 2007

Still working on this,...I did finish one side, after taking it out over 4 times..I think this finally made it after 5 tries...the other side is still proving to be difficult, although I put the markers on first, and it is easier...

i think so far, I have only done a few rows more than once..but, I have to keep checking!!!

This is the lacy lower '1/2' of the sweater, and then the top is a knit row, with every 5th stitch is a slip stitch. That's what gives it that embellished column.

You can see it here....

Today is Patriot's Day. September 11th. 6 years after the date of the Twin Towers coming down. It was the worst day in history, and yet, so many things have changed...we all have changed.....

Thursday, September 6, 2007

The Boyfriend SweaterOK, all you knitters out there, young and old, here’s a question for you. What always starts out with good intentions and the thump, thump, thump of a young heart? Oh, and of course, a pair of needles, a ball of yarn, and hopefully, a very good pattern.Guess yet?A sweater for a boyfriend. Maybe the "one." Maybe not. Volumes could be written on the subject. Every knitter who knows what I am talking about put down your needles a moment. You are not alone. You are part of a sisterhood of women, many who even find the experience slightly humorous by middle age.Here is my tale: told across time and a vast space and yet still so very clear in my mind. I met Avi (name has been changed) at a garage sale. It was late August in Troy, New York. My mom’s neighborhood was having its annual garage sale featuring tables, chairs, pots, pans, plates, and kitchen appliances. The kind of household goods that foreign grad students like Avi needed to survive in nearby student housing.The garage sale was a big social event in our neighborhood; everyone popped in and out, sipping coffee and joking around to pass the time while the goods were inspected by the student customers. I had returned from living and working and Israel just in time to join in the festivities.I heard someone speaking Hebrew: a young, dark and handsome male someone. Perhaps I could help him find something, I asked in my best Hebrew accent. That question was the beginning of my relationship with Avi. The middle is where the boyfriend sweater comes in and the sweater is what this essay is about.One cool autumn night, Avi and I were talking about winter clothes. It gets cold in upstate New York and he would definitely need to buy some sweaters. "What about ski sweaters?" he asked. I don’t know what possessed me to offer to knit him one, but I did."I can knit anything," I told him that night, not feeling that this was an exaggeration. I had been knitting for years, but rarely anything complicated and almost never with a pattern. Still, I felt I was an expert knitter.Avi was impressed. I don’t know if he had researched ski sweaters, but he asked for one with snowflakes and reindeer.That was the easy part. I smiled.Later that week, Avi and I picked out the yarn and the pattern. I set to work. It all seemed so straightforward. I didn’t ask for any advice or help, not even from my mother who had knit lots of sweaters. I finished the front and back. Beautiful. The snowflakes and reindeer were perfect. The fabric was tight and firm. Was I great or what?I brought the sweater on our next date and could hardly wait for Avi to try it on. But as he lifted the sweater, I could already see it was too small. I told Avi not to worry. It wasn’t a big deal. I worried all night how to fix it.I brought Avi’s sweater to my in-house expert. My mother’s solution: dump the project and buy him a ski sweater.I called my good friend Isabel, a wonderful knitter. She was calm, mathematical, and totally understood the concept of the boyfriend sweater. She told me to carefully take Avi’s measurements (decidedly the best part of making the sweater). She mapped out the entire sweater on graph paper so that it was a visual guide for me. I still have that paper. Her basic advice was; watch your gauge.I stumbled around and fixed the sweater the best I could. The relationship was winding down by then. I had made plans to go study printmaking in Iowa and Avi was going to return to Israel. Still, when I gave him the sweater I told him the following: it was a special sweater. Not only special because I made it, but special because I had made it so that if he looked at other woman or thought about another woman, the neck would grow tighter and tighter, and well, you get the picture. So did he. I never saw Avi wear the sweater I made him.When I met my husband, I bit my tongue every time I thought I might blurt out an offer to knit him a sweater. In our twenty-some years together, I have made him lots of mittens. Even complicated Scandinavian ones with snowflakes when we lived in Minnesota. He wore them until they could be patched no more. But I never made him a ski sweater with reindeer. That was for boyfriends.To read more of Michelle Edwards' stories, click here.

Saturday, August 25, 2007

Amigurumi...do you know what is? No, it isn't some kind of Japanese torture, it is KNITTING or Crocheting in Japanese! The Lion website had a reference to it, and I don't know what happened to my grandmother's collection. She had a friend who had crocheted a whole bunch of characters..dogs, cats etc that I used to play with. They were in her cabinet...I wish I knew what happened to them. She also had some that were made using kimono fabric too.

but, anyways...I find books like this in the Japanese book stores at the Japanese markets....they are always fascinating to me...I hope you find them fascinating too.

Monday, August 13, 2007

Well, after my computer crashed from a virus or something..I have had to start all over again...not on my blog, but, on building up the data in my computer...so, I learned another lesson...don't forget to backup all the time, even if your computer is relatively NEW!

Tori and I went to Las Vegas, and before we left, I got some of the LION ORGANIC cotton yarn at Michaels...and found this nice pattern from BERNAT yarn...and started knitting this pattern. It is pretty, but I am having a learning disability with this one. I have knitted it about 4 times now, and find that I am making silly mistakes in not remember which row I am on, or which pattern I am doing...eek! I hope i have enough interest in it to finish it because it is knitting up nicely.

Sunday, July 29, 2007

This is how I store my needles. I got this cute bucket from CHA last January, and it was so cute! I love how they have little pockets and you can put different things in each pocket.

The longer needles, I store in a plastic organizer by Ashland Sky. They are clear which makes it easy to see what is there and what is missing..also, it help so you can pull out the package from the container, which is from Michaels....the container is a wine container, which is decorated in the Mary Engelbreit style which I LOVE!

My double pointed needles are in this storage pocket.

this is a scarve blending 2 yarns together. They are from Moda Dea, and I can't remember the other yarn, but it has a very soft feel and fibery. I think it would be beautiful with my purple jacket with the fur trim. (I think it might be one of the dog furs, but, I don't like to think about that...ugh)

This is a shell I knitted. I still need to work on my finishing. The neck is not very smooth and nice, so I will have to take this apart eventually. This is knitted with the Cotton Yarn by Lion....Cotton-ease

Saturday, July 28, 2007

I need to dedicate this blog to my cats...and especially, Ariel. She's the one with the spot on her face.Tori took this photo of her..she sick, and I don't know how much longer she will be with us, and

it makes me sad that she's sick....

Hopefully, she won't suffer too much..but, we're trying to keep her as long as we can...

Stitch is the white one with the lines on his head, and the soft blue eyes..he has orange round his nose, and he's the sweetest, butthead we have...

Lilo is our shy girl, who we rarely get photos of, or anyone ever sees. She is also a tabby mix, with siamese, and she has those lovely lines on her head, with white around her eyes, like liners. Her beautiful blue eyes and gentle spirit is really peaceful.

This is our spunky girl...Naminori or...NiNi. She also poops outside the box if the box has anyone in there before her....bad girl...but, she keeps me on my toes, and keeping the boxes clean! She also loves ARIEL so much..she's like a shadow for Ariel. Ariel loves her too...so they have really bonded...I think Nami nori, if she doesn't get sick too, will miss Ariel the most....One more added thing...NiNi has another NEW name! She knows Mom (Ariel) is sick so, she's been eating for the 2 of them..and has gained weight (15 lbs now)...her new name is Miss Piggy...I think she's going to have to go on a diet...like me.....the human, who is writing this!

Sunday, July 22, 2007

I went to Santa Monica a few weeks ago, and had so much fun at a "new" shop called WILDFIBER! Wow..it is an amazing store. They had a class going on in the back, and oodles of yarn in the front. I didn't take a photo of the shop, but I loved all the yarns and the displays they had! You can see photos of the store on their website... http://www.wildfiber.com/

Tori sat on one of the comfy sofas that they have in a little U shape area, and you're surrounded by yarns, and books and magazines, and needles and lots of retro bags!

You have to search for parking, because in Santa Monica, space is a premium! So, we found a metered parking spot along one street, and it was only a block away..not too bad. (we actually got lucky with it too!)

This is their business card...cool, it has a cool way to tell which needles you have already so you can store this in your WALLET!! I do have way too many, but...I don't like to buy the same ones over and over again, which I tend to do..sometime later, (ooh, maybe today!) I will take a picture of all the needles I have...and if I get brave...some of my yarn! (that's scary! - I don't want to think of how much $ i have invested in it, but...oh I love the feeling and texture of yarn!)

Tuesday, July 17, 2007

I am Stitch. I am the big guy in this house. I am fluffy and the only boy in this house of girls....

Well, that's not including the dog, but, he doesn't count. Cats RULE,....!

In this house of all girls, I am the guard cat. I make sure that everyone is having a good time, even if the humans don't think we're funny.

Sometimes, I arrange the yarn, but, mostly, I leave that up to the other girl, the baby. NamiNori, loves to rearrange the human's yarn stash. She even would drag the yarn all over the house so that the human was almost tied up while she was paying bills!...yes....she wasn't even watching as we were chasing each other all over the place, over the couch and the coffee table..heh heh....if only the human had even taken a picture of it..but, she didn't think of it...

maybe next time....

She's working on another knitting project now...maybe she's going to put pictures of her projects soon.....

This is Ariel and NamiNori. Nami is the black face siamese (chocolate seal point). Ariel is the Silver seal point. They love each other. Ariel is our "Mom-Cat". She takes care of all of us. We love her. She's the reason why the house has too many cats. Ariel is 11 years old, and Nami is probably about 3. Stitch is 4. m at a rescue, at different times..although Stitchie was the only kitten that we got. I was 8 weeks old when the humans got me, and I was so cute. If they had known I would be so big & fluffy, I don't know if they would've gotten me, but they love me too, and try to kiss and do mushy stuff with me...ugh!......I am the reason why the humans HAVE to vaccuum...!

Favorites on Etsy - not made by me, but you gotta check it out!!!

LEARN TO KNIT

Follow me on twitter!

Translate

Amazon Books

Books I am selling on Amazon.com - Knitting, crafting etc.

Yarn Calculator

What I believe in...A God who loves me as I am!

Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice! Let your gentle spirit be known to all men. The Lord is near. Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.Philippians 4:4-7

God loves you too, Just AS YOU are!!!

This is me...Stitch...

My house...I have the run of the house...the Boss Applesauce! I will always miss you. May 2003 to Jan 2010 - My Ravelry page